Mauricio Pochettino’s future will be decided by PSG vs. Real Madrid, with Manchester United on the horizon.
With the return of the Champions League and a first-leg clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday, former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino must prepare for the turbulence that awaits him at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mauricio Pochettino’s term as Paris Saint-Germain coach will be defined by the outcome of the Champions League showdown with Real Madrid. The idea that PSG’s star-studded squad, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, can finally go all the way and win the Champions League this season will grow at Parc des Princes if they defeat Carlo Ancelotti’s LaLiga leaders and give Mauricio Pochettino back control of his own fate.
If PSG are knocked out in the first round of the knockout stages, regardless of their opponents’ reputation, Pochettino will know that his time at the club is over. PSG’s demanding owners will not allow their team’s failure in the premier club competition in Europe. The club’s first Champions League final in 2020 ended in a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich when Thomas Tuchel was sacked as coach less than six months later.
For any coach who has taken on the challenge of working under severe pressure at the same time as molding their individual stars into a well functional team, Pochettino must also deal with the continual conjecture linking him to Manchester United as their next permanent manager.
According to ESPN’s sources, Pochettino is interested in a move to Old Trafford despite his knowledge that coaching PSG would never be viewed as a long-term ambition. Manchester United’s Ralf Rangnick will be replaced this summer, but he has a contract with Paris until the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, which gives him an advantage over United in terms of winning major trophies right now.
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As ESPN reported on Thursday, Manchester United’s list of probable replacement managers includes Luis Enrique of Spain and Erik ten Hag of Ajax.
As a result, Pochettino’s future remains uncertain. At PSG, there is no such thing as a guaranteed job. However, since the obvious way out could be grabbed by another, he must hope that whatever success he has in Paris allows him to take control of his own destiny rather than having that control snatched away from him by defeat.
There are doubts about Pochettino’s team’s ability to win in the Champions League even though they are 13 points ahead of second-placed Marseille after four wins in a row in Ligue 1.
Are PSG’s French opponents tough enough to prepare them for the level of competition they will face against Real Madrid? With just seven goals in 20 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, is Lionel Messi still capable of deciding an important match at the age of 34? As for Neymar, the 30-year-old who has been sidelined since November with an ankle injury, can Mauricio Pochettino always rely on him?
Manchester City’s 2-1 win against Paris St. Germain in the group stage of the Champions League last November was the most significant indicator of the answers to all of those concerns. In spite of Mbappe opening the scoring for a disorganized PSG, the game did not reflect that, with City in charge and Pochettino dealing with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe frequently leaving their seven outfield colleagues to undertake the bulk of the defensive tasks.
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At that point, it appeared that Pochettino had not yet mastered the specific challenges of managing such a talented group of players. Mauricio Pochettino must find a way for his players to stand up against Real Madrid, just like he did against Manchester City in November.
But if Paris Saint-Germain can knock out Real Madrid, the entire scenario will shift, and Mauricio Pochettino will no longer be waiting for the inevitable nudge towards the exit door.
Pochettino may begin to lose interest in Manchester United if PSG continue to rise in the Champions League standings and the 49-year-old is able to get a foothold in Europe’s elite competition. Pochettino, PSG, and United have a lot riding on the next 180 minutes against Real Madrid.
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